The Hon. Monica Lepe-Negrete is a judge for the Imperial County Superior Court in California. She was elected to the bench in 2018 to fill the vacancy created by the Hon. Diane B. Altamirano, who did not run for reelection.
Judge Lepe-Negrete graduated with her B.A. in urban studies and planning from the University of California, San Diego in 1993. She received her M.A. in criminal justice from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 1997. She then went on to earn her J.D. from Chicago Kent College of Law in 2000.
Prior to her election to the bench, Lepe-Negrete had practiced as a partner at the law firm of Lepe-Negrete and Barreto since 2012. During her tenure there, Lepe-Negrete's areas of practice included criminal defense and family law, with an emphasis on serious felonies, divorces, adoptions, child custody, and child support matters.
Her legal experience also includes serving as a deputy district attorney, deputy public defender, and deputy county counsel for the County's respective offices.
She has been an active member of her community, serving as a board member for the Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), as well as with the El Centro Library & Community Service Board. She has also served as president of the MANA de Imperial Valley Board and was president of the CUHS Band Boosters. She served as an attorney coach for the Vincent Memorial High School Mock Trial Team.
At the time of her election to the Superior Court, Judge Lepe-Negrete, and her husband, Dr. Alfredo Negrete, a local pediatrician, resided in El Centro, California with their two children.